Trapped
by DarkWind13
Summary: The comic is back and Vern, Doyle, Lance, and Cally are trapped in Gamerz Cave. Takes place after season 2 Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Oracle.
1. Chapter 1

~Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Oracle~

"Lance, it's getting late and I don't want to be out long in this storm." Cally complained. They were at Gamerz Cave, which was open late for Halloween. Lance looked out the window to notice the wind blowing harshly.

"What's wrong, the storm scaring you?" Vern, who was looking at the old comics in the store. Cally and Lance both glared at him. Though Vern and Lance had somewhat of a truce after he helped free Lance after he was trapped in the mirror, they were always teasing each other.

"Fine, we'll stay." Cally replied. "I don't care." Sage had the day off and was going on a day-trip with her family. After a few moments, where Cally became increasingly bored, she walked towards the door.

"I'm going home, you can stay if you want." Cally said as she walked towards the door. She opened it, as thunder hit a nearby tree causing it to fall right in front of the game shop. Cally screamed and slammed the door.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked, rushing towards her, Doyle looked concerned, as Vern did for a second, however he quickly feigned disinterest.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cally breathed out. Doyle cautiously inspected the large tree blocking the entrance.

"It's unsafe to go out in this, I'll get some blankets from the back of the store." He replied. The thunder roared ominously. When Doyle entered with the blankets, his next move was to call the city so they can remove the tree, however, the phones were dead.

"Well, we'll have to wait until morning to call." He sighed.

"I'm not waiting around." Vern scoffed as he tried to climb over the tree, however thunder hit nearby causing him to fall back, into the shop.

"I told you it wasn't safe." Doyle lectured, helping Vern up.

"Whatever." Vern muttered.

"I'm sure the storm won't last long." Cally replied. The lights suddenly went out.

"I guess we should have seen that coming, I'll get some candles from the back." Doyle sighed.

"So, should we tell scary stories to pass the time?" Lance suggested.

"Really, you think you can tell better scary stories than me?" Vern taunted.

"I know I can." Lance challanged.

"I'm in to, I mean, there's not much else to do." Cally replied. Doyle came in carrying an armful of candles.

"Don't light any yet, we're about to tell scary stories and it would be way better in complete darkness." Vern suggested.

"Do you want to join?" Lance offered.

"Alright." Doyle replied. He sat down, but before anyone could start, a candle lit up, though no one was near it. Everyone jumped back. Vern approached the candle. He picked up an object, a comic.

"It's back." He breathed out, showing the cover of the cursed comic, Dark Oracle.

"No." Cally sighed in disbelief.

"What does it say?" Doyle asked, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. Vern opened the comic as the others looked over his shoulder. It shown the puppet master creating a storm over gamerz cave with a speech bubble saying.

"I have them right where I want them." Vern, Doyle, Lance and Cally all looked at the storm, that they realized was created to trap them.

"We're under some kind of siege." Lance sighed.

"What should we do?" Cally asked.

"For now, we have to brace ourselves for whatever the Puppet Master has panned for us." Doyle replied. The candle went out, leaving them in complete darkness.

~There will be more~


	2. Chapter 2

~I realize this story isn't as popular (probably because not many people watch Dark Oracle anymore) but I promise I will finish the story, enjoy.~

Vern, Doyle, Lance and Cally were standing in the dark room when the phone rang.

"I thought you said it wasn't working." Cally whispered nervously.

"It wasn't." Doyle replied as he answered the phone, his face paled as he listened to the person on the other line.

"It's the Puppet Master." Doyle whispered to the others.

"What do you want?" Doyle demanded into the phone.

Doyle had an angry but scared expression as he listened to the Puppet Master's answer. Suddenly, the line went dead and Doyle slowly put the phone down.

"He wants revenge." Doyle explained to the teens.

"So, we beat him once, we'll beat him again." Vern replied. Doyle glared at him.

"It's not that simple, the Puppet Master has never been this powerful before and we don't have three practitioners so the Power of Three won't work." He lectured.

"What are you suggesting, that we should just wait for him to attack us? You're a bigger coward than I thought." Vern argued.

"We need to find a way to defend ourselves. Magic isn't all about brute force." Doyle replied.

"Maybe we should split into groups of two to search the shop, Lance and Vern, why don't you two take the left side and Doyle and I will search the back room. We'll meet up in the shop in a half hour." Cally suggested.

"Alright." Doyle agreed.

"Nice job." Lance whispered to Cally as the two teams split up.

"So, why are you and Doyle always fighting with each other?" Lance asked as they searched the shop.

"Why do you care?" Vern asked.

"We need to work together to get out of this," Lance said, then replied chuckling, "besides if we managed to have even this much of a truce, I'm sure you two could get along well for the time it takes to stop this." Lance replied.

"Well, he used to train me in magic but we had a... disagreement."

"I see, what about?" Lance asked.

"I wanted to learn faster than he was willing to teach." Vern replied coldly. Lance nodded.

"Let me guess, you're going to tell me that I didn't need to know all the magic at once." Vern scoffed.

"I'm not going to say anything, Vern." Lance replied then continued looking in the shop.

"That's pretty cool of you, thanks." Vern replied. They continued looking and found some rope that could be used to set a trap for the Puppet Master if he chose to go into the shop. They both hoped it didn't come to that.

Meanwhile, Cally and Doyle were searching the back room.

"So, why are you and Vern often fighting with each other?" Cally asked.

"You're one for subtlety, aren't you?" Doyle responded dryly.

"I just think that we need to get along in order to get out if this." Cally responded. Doyle sighed.

"He was just a bit too insistent on learning the powerful spells when I thought he was moving too quickly." Doyle replied. Cally decided to let it go and they continued searching. They found spell books, some for healing, some for defense and one attack book.

They met up at the front of the store as planned.

"We found some magic books that could help." Cally explained.

"We found some rope that could be used if we need to set a trap." Lance told the others.

"We have to be ready for anything the Puppet master throws at us," Doyle reminded the others, "We don't know what he's capable of and experience tells us that he is willing to do whatever it takes to get out of the comic."

"So, we'll be ready." Vern replied. Lance and Cally glanced at each other, hoping that this doesn't start another argument. Doyle simply sighed in response, but left the matter alone. Cally grabbed the comic and began to read it, trying to find something that could help. Doyle, Vern and Lance looked over her shoulder. There was an image of the Puppet Master sneering and looking right towards them, there was an image of the Puppet Master entering Gamerz Cave and then him standing alone, with the store in a state of disarray, his back was turned, however it looked like he was chuckling.

"This... this isn't good." Lance breathed out.

"We're not in the last scene,what do you think happened?" Cally gasped.

"I don't know Cally, but we'll be okay." Lance reassured her. Vern glared at the comic, his face twisted in rage.

"I'm done playing cat-and-mouse with him, trying to just defend ourselves, I say we just use everything we got to put him back in the comic world where he belongs." Vern said, still glaring at the comic.

"Vern, we don't have enough power for that kind of attack. We need to think strategically." Doyle replied sternly. _I have enough regrets, I don't need you, Cally or Lance being hurt on my conscience as well._ Doyle thought. He and Vern were glaring at each other.

"Guys, I think we have another problem." Cally replied nervously as she pointed at a dark figure opening the door and entering the store.

~Okay, I don't know if that's the reason for Vern and Doyle's rivalry, but that's my guess, There will be more.~


	3. Chapter 3

~Alright, for anyone reading this story I'll still keeping up with my goal to never leave a story unfinished (Check my profile if you really care about it). So here's the next chapter~

Vern, Doyle, Cally, and Lance all stared with a mix of fright and anger at the Puppet Master who was calmly walking towards them.

"I seem to have come at a bad time." The Puppet Master said tauntingly.

"Leave us alone." Doyle commanded, standing in front of the kids.

"After all they done against me? I don't think so." The Puppet Mater replied coldly.

"We were just trying to protect ourselves!" Cally yelled.

"It doesn't matter," replied the Puppet Master, "I will have my revenge."

"I won't let that happen." Doyle replied sternly. The puppet master turned to Vern.

"You have so much potential; why do you hide behind this weakling? You can have all the power you want if you join me." He said smiling cruelly.

"I don't trust your side." Vern said, not breaking eye-contact with him.

"You are aware of the consequences of not following my lead. I will have to treat you like anyone else who gets in my way." The Puppet Master said, now glaring at Vern.

"Like I care, I can take you." Vern replied, though he shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't play the hero, Vern." Cally whispered, warning Vern. The puppet master stepped towards Vern.

"Illi excusso." The Puppet master said, casting a beam of magic to hit Vern. Vern fell backwards and clutched his stomach in pain.

"Not so tough now, are you?" The Puppet master sneered. "I'll be back and you four better be more... well mannered." With that, he left the room with a confident air. Doyle, Cally and Lance went to see if they could help Vern, who was gasping in pain. Doyle checked his books.

"Sana." Doyle commanded. Vern began to look better, at least not in as much pain as he was in when the beam hit him.

"Thanks." Was all he managed to say.

"Now you see why we need to use more than power spells. You're... We're lucky he didn't use a stronger attack spell." Doyle lectured.

"Maybe you're right, but I will learn all the spells that you claimed I wasn't mature enough to handle." Vern replied as he slowly stood up. Doyle decided that this wasn't the best time to voice his objections to Vern's stubbornness.

"We need a plan in the event he comes back." Doyle said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"We can use the rope so if he trips on it we'll be able to tell if he's here." Lance suggested. Cally and Lance set to work on tying the rope near the door as Vern and Doyle went to the back room to look for anything that could help.

"Hey Cally, I was thinking about how... If I didn't go to the comic book store that day, or even if I didn't stay late enough for you to have to get the groceries by yourself, neither of us would be in this mess." Lance whispered to her.

"Lance, you're not seriously blaming yourself for this, are you?" Cally replied. Lance nodded slowly.

"Lance, it wasn't your fault it was...Omen." Cally's voice took on a sad tone as she said the name of the person who so bravely sacrificed himself for her, so soon after she forgave him. It still hurt her to think about it and Lance knew this.

"Cally, I'm sure he'll be fine; Omen's tough, he can handle it." Lance said reassuringly. Normally he would be frustrated at Cally still being upset over a guy but he understood that Omen meant a lot to her. Cally nodded and continued working with Lance.

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room as Doyle and Vern worked to find anything to help their fight.

"Thanks for saving me back there." Vern said slowly, as if he was unsure what to say.

"I wasn't going to let you or anyone get hurt." Doyle replied. He wanted to tell Vern how he wished they could work it out, but he didn't. "How's teaching yourself magic going?" He added.

"Why do you care?" Vern scoffed.

"You just need to pace yourself." Doyle advised. He expected an angry response from Vern, but all Vern did in reply was give a quick nod. At that moment, Cally and Lance entered the room.

"It's getting late. I think we should try and get some rest so we can be prepared if he attacks in the morning." Doyle told the others. Cally and Vern got ready to sleep, Vern went to the back room and Cally slept in the store area. Lance tried to go to bed, but something serious was weighing on his mind. He noticed that Doyle was still awake and went to talk to him.

"How long do you think we'll be trapped here?" Lance asked.

"I don't know, Lance." Doyle replied wearily.

"We don't have many supplies so if he keeps us here much longer..." Lance didn't want to finish that sentence, there was enough food for them to have during the day, but both of them knew that it wouldn't last for long.

"Just... try to get some rest, I'll think of something." Doyle promised, though he was just as, if not more, worried than Lance.

"Alright, thanks Doyle." Lance replied. Lance fell asleep in the back room as well, but close enough to the door he'd be able to hear Cally call if she had to. Doyle sat up and thought. Maybe Vern was right. He realized that the Puppet Master was slowly attacking them by trapping them here, surely such cruelties weren't below him. Maybe they had to fight to survive but were they ready- Was he ready?

~There will be at least one more chapter~


	4. Chapter 4

~Alright, this is the final chapter, so I hope anyone who has been reading this is enjoying it.~

Morning came all too soon for Doyle as that was when he decided that it was time for the final attack but he would need to tell the others. He wasn't afraid of the I-told-you-so's from Vern; what Doyle feared was the others being worried. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about the consequences if one or more if them don't return alive. Cally woke up first.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Cally asked softly, she didn't know what was on Doyle's mind, but it was clear that something was, anyone could see that.

"Just wait until the others wake up; I'll need to talk to them about it to." Doyle replied, not looking at her.

"Alright." Cally replied, she knew that something was wrong, but she didn't want to press Doyle for answers. Lance woke up shortly after.

"Are we waiting for Sleeping Beauty to wake up before we make a plan?" Lance joked as he noticed Cally and Doyle waiting for him and Vern to wake up.

"Something like that." Doyle replied. Lance noticed the worried look on Doyle's face and wondered if he still didn't know what do to about them running out of supplies. The wind blew harshly against the glass and the kids jumped. Vern woke up.

"So, what's the plan, we hide and wait for him to finish us off? Vern asked cynically. Doyle took a breath before replying. He knew that once he told the others his plan, there was no going back.

"No, Vern you were right when you brought up the fact that we can't just wait here. We have to fight." He replied slowly. Cally and Lance gasped and Vern gave a satisfied smile.

"So, how do we go about this attack." Vern replied, clearly enjoying it.

"We need to find a powerful spell and use it to attack, Cally and Lance, since you two are not practitioners, you can set this trap." Doyle instructed, giving written instructions to Lance.

"Then let's do this." Vern said, hoping that there wasn't going to be any more discussion.

"One more thing," Doyle said slowly. "If it comes down to it, I'll be the one to sacrifice myself, none of you guys should have to." Doyle instructed.

"What? Doyle, it can't come to that!" Cally shrieked.

"It may not, but I just wanted to put that plan in there just in case." Doyle replied. Vern muttered something under his breath about this being a matter of pride.

"This has nothing to do with pride, Vern." Doyle corrected, he took a breath before continuing, "All of you have more potential than I ever did; I want you three to be able to fulfill it." Even Vern was touched by Doyle's words (Though he'd never show it of course.)

"We won't let it come to that, Doyle," Lance stated, "We're all going to make it out of here."

"How sweet," The Puppet Master taunted as he entered Gamerz Cave, "my only question is how do you plan to do that?"

Doyle, Cally, Lance and Vern glared at The Puppet Master, their fear now replaced with anger.

"Oppugnare." Doyle muttered which sent a beam of energy to hit the Puppet Master.

"How dare you." He growled.

"Oppugnare." Vern muttered right after, sending another energy beam. The Puppet Master recoiled in pain and took a step back, he tripped backwards over the piece of rope that was hanging there and fell into the pile of shelving that Cally and Lance placed.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" The Puppet Master growled. "Ignis impetusque!" Thunder roared though the shop destroying everything in sight.

"Salutem!" Doyle yelled in response, forming a protective circle around him and the teens.

"How long do you think your little shield will last?" The Puppet Master taunted. Doyle glared at the Puppet Master as if to appear defiant, however Doyle knew that the Puppet Master was right.

"Cavea." The Puppet Master announced. A force-field blocked them in the protective circle. "Ignis." Fire shot up the store walls. Doyle and the kids were trying so hard to break out if the circle but there faces were turning red from the heat. Doyle knew they wouldn't be able to last much longer.

"You're going to pay for this!" Vern coughed.

"How? You four can't do anything to stop me." The Puppet Master taunted. The flames danced around him but never made contact, clearly he was immune to the spell. Lance looked at Cally, he tried his best to protect her against the madness of the comic, but it wasn't enough. He punched the force field in frustration. Cally looked concerned at Lance and closed her eyes, she had to think of some way out. Doyle looked regretful, he never wanted them to get hurt, but he couldn't stop it. Vern looked angrily at the Puppet Master, but regretted the role is anger played at all this. If he was never so obsessed with the comic, this never would have happened.

"Aguas!" A voice commanded. A rush of water extinguished the fire, however, it did little to fix the store. They all looked at the figure who was coming out of the mirror. Cally instantly recognized him.

"Omen." She breathed out in relief.

"You sure took your time." Vern said sarcastically.

"I seemed to manage better than you." Omen replied; this silenced Vern.

"Can you help us?" Cally asked. Omen nodded.

"Dispraesaepibus." He said and the force field fell apart.

"It looks like we have the power of three on our side now." Omen smiled. Doyle nodded and lined up in front of Cally and Lance

"Oppungare!" The trio yelled in unison. A large beam hit the Puppet Master. He fell backwards in pain.

"If we do a banishment spell, he'll try to bring us down with him." Doyle explained, "We need to do one then get out of here." Omen, Vern, Cally and Lance nodded in agreement. Cally and Lance got ready to open the door for a quick escape and Omen, Vern and Doyle stood directly in front of the Puppet Master.

"Reverternur foram qua venisity!" They shouted in unison.

"Descrendit erit fatiscit." The Puppet Master said as he was fading. The whole store began to shake.

"Guys, we have to leave now!" Lance yelled to Vern, Doyle and Omen while holding the door open. Cally was making sure the exit was clear. The trio hurried across the shaking floor, fear apparent on their face. They finally managed to escape the store.

As the store was vanishing into the comic world The Puppet Master laughed at the mess that was left of Gamerz Cave. Though he lost the battle, he's in possession of Doyle's store- and all the secrets it holds. Both the store and The Puppet Master vanished, leaving only the copy of Dark Oracle.

"Is everyone alright?" Doyle asked near the vacant lot that once was the store.

"Yeah, but we're really sorry about your store." Cally replied.

"The important thing is that everyone is safe." Doyle replied, though he was worried.

"All your magic books were there, now The Puppet Master has them." Vern reminded.

"I know, that's what worries me." Doyle admitted.

"Don't worry, the five of us can handle whatever he throws at us." Omen reassured, holding Cally's hand, "What do you guys say?"

"I'm in." Lance agreed.

"So am I," Cally agreed, "I surely don't want him coming back anytime soon."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm in to." Vern agreed. "You're not as much of a coward than I thought, Doyle, and... I'd like to learn magic from you again." Doyle nodded.

"You proved that though you still have much to learn, you're mature enough to handle it so I'll take your back as a student." He said to Vern. "I'll do everything in my power to fight him from coming back to." He added, addressing the group.

"Wait, there's an abandoned building Cally and I used to play in as kids; you could start your business there!" Lance suggested.

"Yeah, I saw it on the market while I was doing a school project. It's not going for too much." Cally added.

"I'll look into it, now it's late so you kids should head home. Omen, you can stay with me if you want." Doyle agreed. In the dark night, Cally and Lance headed to their house, Vern went the other way to his and Doyle and Omen walked a different way. There was no way of knowing what the future would bring, but they'd face it as a team, none of them would face anything alone, that gave them strength.

~Alright, that was the end of the story, hope it wasn't too long.~


End file.
